Fraud ring striking Tri-Cities, police say. Your best defense: account alerts

Police say thieves in the Tri-Cities are emptying residents’ bank accounts without the victims ever realizing it.

A half-dozen people in Kennewick and others in Pasco, Richland and West Richland told police that someone stole money from their accounts — sometimes thousands of dollars.

The thefts first were reported Sept. 19 and may be connected to a “skimmer,” said Mike Blatman, Kennewick’s crime prevention specialist.

The devices are attached to a card reader. As soon as you swipe your card, the skimmer copies your information for later.

Thieves then can use your data to buy stuff online or make clones of your card.

It’s unclear at this point how many people may be involved, Blatman said.

Witnesses identified a woman and two men, one with a Jamaican accent, as suspects.

The trio doesn’t give credit cards over to the cashier, instead doing the scanning themselves, Blatman said.

In several of the cases, the victms don’t know their money’s gone until they try to use their card.

Police suggest setting up alerts on your bank account that tell you if you spend more than $50.

It might be annoying, Blatman said, but the alerts can curb theft before it gets out of control.

He should know — his information was stolen and used to buy items in California.

“I was immediately on the phone with my bank,” Blatman said. “If you have that online access, take a look at your account and set up those alerts.”

Police are asking anyone with information about the thefts to call the police agency in their area and their financial institution. Victims in Benton and Franklin counties can call non-emergency dispatch at 509-628-0333.